Awaken (Awaken Series Book 1) Read online

  I felt my jaw drop open. How did this discussion turn around to me being insecure? If he wasn’t interested in that skanky slut, then why did I all of a sudden have “competition?”

  “Well, it looks like you have a lot of thinking to do,” I said, turning my body away from him.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “If you value our relationship at all then you’ll stop hanging around Megan.” He started to say something but I cut him off. “I guess you have a big decision to make Josh. Either get rid of Megan or we can no longer be together.” I stomped away, dragging Becka with me to the parking lot.

  I could still hear Josh’s faint voice in the distance, “She’ll get over this little PMS session and things will go back to normal tomorrow. They always do.”

  “Bre, wait a second.” Becka tugged on my arm, halting us.

  “What?”

  “We can’t go now. You told your dad you were coming. We don’t have to be anywhere near Josh but let’s stay. It is a beautiful day and we’ll have to wait another whole year for this festival. You know this is our day,” Becka pleaded.

  I knew what she was doing. She didn’t want me to go home alone and sulk, which seemed to be the pattern of my life these days.

  “Beck, I’m sorry, but I really don’t feel like being around people right now. You stay and have fun. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Are you sure you’re going to be alright?” Her big eyes looked at me.

  “Yeah, I will be fine,” I said, trying to form a smile with my uncooperative lips. Between this Josh thing and the visions, I had way too much on my mind to be around a crowd of people.

  “Alright, but if you need anything call me.”

  With a quiet sigh I mustered, “Okay.”

  I couldn’t wait to get home to the safety and quiet of my room. I fell onto the bed and tried to put everything out of my mind. It took some time, but soon I felt a quiet calm pulling me under. I began to fall asleep and dream.

  I stood there, silently watching him, my mind willed me to move forward, but my body remained frozen. My heart began to beat heavily, the way it always does when he comes into view. He was just ten feet away from me now. I felt lightheaded and found it difficult to breathe.

  I decided this time I had to move slowly. I had to focus on slowing down my mind to take everything in.

  I took one step closer, studying him carefully. His dark, almost black hair glistened in the descending sun. Even though I wasn’t looking directly at his face just yet, his beauty took my breath away. I felt it coming, one more step and he would know I was here.

  I was anxious to see his face again, but dreading the moment that our encounter would end. I took a deep breath and moved as if each step was timed. He turned and rose to his feet, his face blank. I thought my heart was going to race out of my chest. I hoped for a sign this time, some kind of acknowledgment from him. Was he happy to see me? Was I not what he was expecting? What secret thoughts were running through his mind?

  I knew the time had come. No more stalling, I had to go to him. I began moving toward the stream where he stood. This time, I would look directly at him, look into his eyes and make myself known.

  “Bre, this is Collin,” a voice introduced me as I approached. Though the voice was somehow familiar, I was oblivious to who had said it. All I cared about was making sure I captured this moment in every detail. Collin’s deep, royal blue eyes looked into mine and I realized I had never felt like this before. My nerves flared with an intensity that burned deep within me and held me captive in his gaze. Every bit of him was perfect. His silky hair fell perfectly over each side of his face. Occasionally, a strand or two would move gently across his forehead and dance along his eyes. His shirt melted into his chest, making it impossible for me to ignore the definition of his body.

  He slowly lifted his hand, gesturing for me to take it. “It’s nice to meet you, Bre.” His bright smile stretched across his mouth as he waited for me to respond.

  I swallowed, knowing what was going to happen next. I tried again to slow my mind down even more, pleading with myself to make this moment last. When I couldn’t hold on any longer, I reached out my hand in one last attempt to succeed. Just as our fingers touched everything went black.

  The clinking of the keys unlocking the front door startled me awake and I opened my eyes. I looked to my clock and the time was seven o’clock at night. I braced myself for what I might encounter with my dad. It was selfish of me to leave on the one day out of the year that he expected me to be with him. I picked myself up from my bed as the door to my room opened slowly.

  "Bre, are you asleep?"

  "No, Dad, I’m awake," I replied.

  "Oh." He flipped the light on. "Are you alright? Rebecca said you weren’t feeling well so you went home early."

  "I'm fine.” I said meekly, picking at my comforter. “Sorry I wasn't there for you today. I know this day meant a lot to you."

  "No, it's okay. I was just worried about you. We should have come home earlier but some of the guys wanted to go out to dinner and celebrate." He was beaming. His stress lines even appeared to be fading. It was nice to see him happy.

  I wish we had more days like this. Ever since my mother took the job in Los Angles and started traveling, there was a definite change in my father. Like a part of him had died. He didn’t have joy for anything anymore. I tried to talk to my mother over and over again, but she never seemed to care, or have the slightest bit of empathy. All that mattered to her was work. My brother and I had figuratively removed her from our house, like our parents were divorced, and she was a lost relative we saw on occasion.

  “Dad, I’m glad that you went. You deserved to go out, have fun and celebrate. So does that mean you placed in the competition?” I hadn’t noticed him holding something behind his back.

  Circling his arm around the front of him, he held out a shiny little trophy that had a fisherman holding onto a fishing pole in one hand and a fish in the other. The inscription read, Biggest Catch of the Year 2008.

  I Jumped from the bed and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck. “First place Dad! That’s amazing! Congratulations!”

  Great, the first time in nine years I skipped out early, I had to miss the day my dad won his first trophy.

  “Thanks, Bre. I’m pretty stoked about it. I finally beat Kevin, the champion for the past four years. I tell you, it feels good.” He smiled to himself.

  “I’m really happy for you, Dad.”

  He turned to walk out the door, then flipped back around to face me. “Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Your friend wanted me to tell you, hi.”

  “Which friend?” I wondered.

  “Your friend, Eve. She caught me off-guard when she came up and started talking to me like she knew me. Then she explained that she just moved into town and that you two have been seeing a lot of each other lately. She seems like a nice enough girl.”

  Eve? Who the heck was Eve? I didn’t know anyone that’d moved here recently and I certainly would remember if I had been hanging out with someone new.

  “Dad I don’t know an Eve,” I said with a puzzled look on my face.

  “Really? She certainly knew you. You know, black hair, about your age.” As he said black hair, a chill swept over my body and my muscles tensed up. I knew right away he was talking about the girl who kept eyeing me at the park; the one who looked like she had a hidden agenda and I was at the top of it. He added, “Really pretty, too.”

  I couldn’t say anything. My voice box was frozen and nothing was coming out. How did she know my father? How did she know who my father was? Was this some kind of sick joke? Why was this happening to me? First, there were the strange visions and now this weird girl that somehow knew things about me and my family. My head was spinning and I was starting to feel sick to my stomach.

  “Bre? Bre, talk to me. What’s the matter? You look clammy and pale,” Dad said with a worried tone.

  “Dad,” I squeezed ou
t in a shaky voice. “I’m starting to not feel good again. Can we talk tomorrow? I need to lie down.”

  “Sure. Do you need me to get you anything?”

  “No.” I turned away, resting my head on my pillow.

  “I'll see you tomorrow then. Good night, kiddo.” He closed the door quietly behind him.

  That night, I couldn’t fall asleep. Paul, Kim, Josh, Megan, Eve, visions; my mind was going a hundred miles an hour and there were no signs of it slowing down anytime soon. Regardless of the fact that I was utterly exhausted and my eyes felt like they were on fire, I kept playing the vision of Paul and Kim in my head over and over again, trying to remember every detail. It was killing me that I knew him from somewhere. But where? Where did I know him? Come on Bre, think, think hard. I was aggravated with myself for not remembering. Why was this so important? It wasn’t like I was remembering who these people were, so why should I care so much? Why was I seeing this? I was nobody, just a sixteen-year old girl in high school. This kind of thing happened to interesting people, not me.

  I was in high school. I played with that thought for a while, but my focus shifted to Josh and Megan. What great timing Josh had. Why couldn't this whole Josh-Megan thing have happened at a later time? Why now, when I had another mess to figure out?

  The clock told me it was nearing twelve. Turning on my back I stared up at the ceiling. It was a good thing I didn’t have anything going on tomorrow since it didn’t look like I’d be getting any sleep tonight.

  School didn’t start for another three weeks. Maybe by then I’d have everything figured out and have some answers. Shutting my eyes, I tried to zone in on Paul’s face, but that Eve girl kept passing through my mind, as if I was subconsciously blocking him out. I did this for about an hour until I began to sink deeper and deeper into unconsciousness and finally fell asleep.

  Slap! Springing up out of bed, I looked around my dark room wondering what woke me. The clock read three-thirty in the morning.

  "Ouch," I said aloud, cradling my left wrist. I must’ve been dreaming of something intense and hit my hand on the nightstand.

  My father always told me that when I fell into a deep enough sleep, I’d sometimes talk and act things out. It was kind of embarrassing, realizing that he may have been listening in on my deepest of dreams, which should’ve been private. However, I was glad he told me, especially now that I was trying to shed light on Paul and who he was. Maybe in my dreams I’d remember where I had seen him. It couldn't hurt trying to remember what I was dreaming about. It was often said that dreams meant something and you usually dreamed about things you were thinking about right before you fall asleep.

  I closed my eyes and concentrated. I started reviewing the last thoughts I had of Paul before I fell asleep. The memories were fuzzy and, at first, I couldn’t see anything. Then, slowly it started to come back to me. I saw Paul in a bland, gray room, sitting at a desk reading something. For some reason, that room looked oddly familiar to me. I had been there before. I knew it. Why was it so familiar to me, I wondered? I tried reading the title of the book, but couldn’t. Then something else darted into my thoughts. There she was again. She flipped into my head like someone had turned the TV station. Eve, with her dark brown, almost black, eyes staring at me. She looked pleased that she was able to sneak into my dream. It was so real, it almost felt like I could reach out and touch her.

  “Get out! Get out of my head!” I yelled. “GET OUT!”

  Flipping my eyelids open, I sat straight up in bed. I was taken aback when I realized that she had responded to me. When I yelled at her, she looked terrified and shocked that I had said anything. No way was this artificial imitation, responding in such a real human way, as if she was real and right here in my room with me. I had to be delusional. She stopped staring at me and looked around at the blackness hovering around her. She was jumpy and afraid as if something were near her.

  I took a second to compose myself, telling my quivering body that there was nothing to fear. This was just a thought. She wasn’t physically here in my room. I cautiously closed my eyes again and lay back down. As the blackness claimed the faint light from the full moon, I was relieved to see Paul’s face again. The warmth that I felt from his demeanor was comforting. I no longer felt the loneliness from when Eve interrupted my thoughts.

  Exhaling a breath, I went back to recalling my dream. Paul was in the same room as before, but this time he was standing in front of the desk, still holding the book. I could see the title a little bit better now. It looked like, The Color Purple. Hey, I know that book! I read it in my English class when I was a sophomore.

  Wait! It came to me like someone slapped it into my brain. Paul Anderson, Mr. Anderson. He was an English teacher at Rouge River High where I went to school. The reason why I knew him wasn’t because I had him last year. He was supposed to be my Junior English teacher. That’s it! That’s how I know him. I felt a little of the ten pound weight lift off my shoulders.

  So I knew who Paul was now, but I didn’t have this whole thing figured out just yet. I still had no idea when this was going to take place or if it already happened. I had a good idea that it hadn’t yet, because there’d been no news about any planes going down. This thought was reassuring. I still had time, but how much? Would it be before or after school started, I worried.

  I dug down as deep as I could into the first vision, recalling anything that was mentioned. What Kim was packing when Paul came into the room. What type of clothes she was packing.

  I remembered a couple of tops that looked like t-shirts, but she was wearing a red, long-sleeved blouse when they left for the plane. Trying to determine what time of year this was going to take place, I could probably rule out summer. Kim said something about going to the beach on Tuesday. That meant Paul must not have been in school, or he could possibly have taken time off from work. If he wasn’t in school, then maybe it was during spring break? So many questions, so few answers.

  A slight pounding started to build in the middle of my forehead. The repetitive stabbing hit deep within my skull, making it impossible to think anymore. It was horrible. The lack of sleep was creeping up on me as well. My body began to rebel, fighting against me for sleep. No, I can't, not right now. Not when I had so much to figure out. But as I drifted, I knew I was losing the fight. With just a little awareness, the voice in my head faintly said, “Bre, hold on. Hold on to everything you figured out today because you will need it.”

  "Beck, tell me again, why we are doing this?" I whined, crossing my arms and glancing out the passenger window as we sped down the road. After I woke that morning, I had every intention of curling up on the couch with a good book - until Becka came in and ruined my plans.

  "Because I’m tired of you locking yourself up in your room. You’ve been avoiding Josh since the fair, but this is getting a little ridiculous. So, I’m kidnapping you and we’re going to have a fun-filled day of pampering and shopping!"

  I had been avoiding the world for the past week, but it wasn’t just because of Josh.

  I couldn’t seem to block out Paul and Kim from my thoughts. Just the agonizing realization that their lives could be lost in the near future haunted me.

  "Beck, that’s really nice of you, but I don't have money for this. Maybe another day, when I get a job."

  "Don't you worry your pretty little head about that. It’s all taken care of. Remember, I’m a working girl now!" she snapped her head from side to side, smiling.

  Rebecca got the job that we both interviewed for at the restaurant. I couldn't believe that she got it instead of me! I was happy for her, but I really needed that job. My dad always said when one door closed, another will open and that door might be better for you in the long run. So far, he’d been right, but I hated admitting it.

  Becka turned right onto the ramp heading toward Grants Pass. I frowned and looked over in her direction. "Where are we going? I thought we were heading to Medford."

  "We are, but we have to pick u
p Stephanie and Katie first. I invited them to come with us today. I thought it’d be fun to have a girls’ day out."

  "You invited Katie! What were you thinking? You know how much she hates me."

  "Bre, you need to get over this little ‘tiff’ the two of you had. I don't know why you‘re still mad at each other. You used to be such good friends."

  I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest. "I'm not the one with the problem! She’s the one holding the grudge. Plus, I’ve tried more than once to make amends, but she never seems to care.”

  Great! How could I have fun with Katie around? We hadn’t spoken since the beginning of sophomore year, when the guy she liked, Josh, took an interest in me instead of her.

  I thought about that for a moment and realized something. “Does she know I’m coming?"

  "No, she doesn't, but she will when she gets in the car!" Becka pushing her lips together so she wouldn't break the smile attempting to reveal itself.

  "Oh, that's great, Beck. Great way to ruin the day." I slumped down into the seat.

  "I'm sorry but what was I supposed to do? I called to invite Stephanie and Katie was there. It just happened."

  I sighed, "I know it's not your fault. It’s just going to be awkward now."

  I guess I couldn't blame Katie for being mad at me. She liked Josh all through junior high and high school. When he started to like me, I dove into a relationship without regard for her feelings. During our six years friendship, I never once told her I was interested in Josh, until he became interested in me. Now I knew better. I should’ve listened to my instincts and stayed clear of Josh. When I asked her about dating him, Katie told me, “You guys are perfect for each other! Of course I don’t mind!” She smiled at me giving me the green light. I should’ve known it was her deflated ego talking. After Josh and I started dating exclusively, Katie and my relationship was never the same.

  "So have you talked to Josh at all?" Beck changed the subject.